


Powerless

by Augustus



Category: Sweet Valley High - Francine Pascal
Genre: F/F, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-01-30
Updated: 2002-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-08 21:13:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3223631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Augustus/pseuds/Augustus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Summary: It's just admiration. Right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Powerless

**Author's Note:**

> Chronology: Set during Book # 4: "Power Play"   
> Challenge: Snow Dome's improv challenge: lemon, power-hungry, homework, enigma.  
> Author's note: "Power Play" is one of my least liked SVH books. The moral? Don't be fat.

"What do you think?" Jessica twisted her hair back from her face in a casual French roll. "I'm absolutely _positive_ that my face is getting fatter."

Frowning, Robin studied Jessica's face. It was hard to find any fault in the smooth curve of her jaw or the sharp line of her cheekbones. In fact, Robin thought that Jessica was, quite probably, the most beautiful girl in the entire world.

"I think it looks fine, Jess. Great, even," she replied, blushing a little at the transparency of her own words.

Turning to study her reflection in the mirrored door of Robin's closet, Jessica's lips twisted into a smile. "You're right," she concluded, whirling onto a new subject almost immediately. "Doesn't my hair look good like this? I should wear it this way more often."

"It looks nice," Robin replied dutifully.

"Although..." Jessica thoughtfully bit her lower lip, the gesture causing Robin to stare openly for a moment before finally blinking and looking away. "I'm not sure that this top is as flattering as it could be." Leaning a little closer into the mirror, she plucked at the straps of the cropped lemon tank top she was wearing. "Don't you think it makes me look a little jaundiced?"

"Of course n-..." Robin began, but Jessica was speaking again before she managed to finish the sentence. 

"Lila says that yellow's a bad color for me," she prattled, pouting at her reflection. "She says that only brunettes can truly get away with wearing it."

"Perhaps she just said that because _she's_ a brunette," Robin ventured timidly, not wanting to cause any offense, but being quite sure that the power-hungry Lila Fowler would be more than capable of such reasoning.

"Perhaps..." Idly, Jessica fingered the bottom of the shirt, gathering and lifting the material so that it was only barely decent. "I'm not sure that I care, anyway. It's the absolute _height_ of fashion at the moment, did you know?"

Robin shrugged and shook her head, fascinated by the shadow of Jessica's fingers upon her bare stomach.

"You should ask your mother if she'll buy you something like it. They're all over this month's Vogue."

Her mouth falling open with astonishment, Robin managed to tear her eyes away from Jessica for long enough to take in her own, much different, figure. A top as skimpy as the one Jessica was wearing was likely to provoke a very different reaction on Robin to the appreciative gazes and wolf whistles it drew when worn by her friend. She could picture exactly how it would look - like a pale yellow elastic band stretched to its absolute limits across her chest.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Jess," she said finally, gesturing down at herself.

"No?" Jessica regarded Robin's figure carefully, almost as though she was only seeing it for the first time.

"No." Robin was surprised by the strength of her tone.

"Perhaps you're right." Brows lowered slightly, Jessica leaned towards Robin, staring intently at the face of the other girl. "You're really quite pretty, though, all things considered."

If it had come from anyone else, Robin would probably have been hurt by the callously backhanded compliment. From Jessica, though, it might as well have been poetry, considering the way that the words sparked and tingled inside Robin's stomach. "Thank you," she muttered quietly, suddenly quite distracted by the proximity of Jessica's face.

She'd never really noticed before just how beautiful Jessica's eyes were, the color of the Pacific Ocean and surrounded by long lashes that were much darker than would normally be seen on such a true blonde. Her mind told her that it was merely the work of a good mascara, but Robin found herself fascinated nonetheless, her own eyes carefully following the movement of each blink.

As Jessica raised one eyebrow and smiled appraisingly, Robin felt an awful, overwhelming urge to kiss her.

Flustered, Robin turned, moving away from her friend before she could do something terribly foolish. "Weren't we meant to be going through your science homework?" she stammered, rubbing furiously at her lips with the palm of one hand.

"Homework? Bah!" Jessica showed her disinterest with an airy wave of one hand. "There's plenty of time for that! How about I give you a makeover instead?"

Robin pictured what it would be like to be made over by Jessica. She would obviously need to touch Robin's face, and the thought of those delicate fingers tracing and molding her skin sent a wave of excitement flowing through Robin's veins. _((She would probably need to bend forwards to get on the right angle,))_ she thought, heart pounding. She didn't know how she would keep her gaze away from the soft curve of Jessica's cleavage if it were so firmly in her line of vision.

"Perhaps not," she said quickly, stomach churning with sudden guilt.

Jessica was unaffected. "Maybe some other time," she shrugged, then returned to the mirror, her offer already forgotten. 

Grateful, Robin picked up Jessica's science textbook, flicking through the pages until she located the right chapter. Schoolwork was easy compared to the walking enigma that was Jessica Wakefield. "We should really get started on your assignment," she suggested tentatively.

Sighing, Jessica poked her tongue out at her reflection. "I'm not really in the mood," she announced, then turned to gaze at Robin with enormous eyes, her mouth arranged into a fragile pout. "Couldn't you do it for me?"

 _((She knows,))_ Robin realized with a pang of despair, but when she spoke, all she said was, "I guess so," picking up a pen in resignation.

"Great!" Jessica was all smiles again as she engulfed Robin in a brief but firm hug. "I'm sure you'll do much better than I could anyway."

Robin was too busy blushing to reply.

"See you tomorrow, then?" Jessica retrieved her bag from the foot of Robin's bed before moving out into the hallway. 

"But... I thought we were going to hang out tonight," Robin said pathetically. "We're meant to be best friends, aren't we?"

"Uh... yes... well," Jessica stammered, grasping for words. "I just remembered that tonight's my night to prepare dinner."

"I understand," Robin whispered, but Jessica was already too far down the hall to hear.

Breathing deeply, and trying to ignore her burning eyes and swollen throat, Robin bent over Jessica's textbook and told herself that she didn't care.

* * *

If Jessica noticed the tear smudges on her completed homework the next day, then she never thought to question them, too busy discussing boys with Cara and Lila to say more than a brief thank you. Robin imagined the feel of Jessica's lips against her own and shivered slightly in powerless anticipation. "It was nothing," she lied.

As Robin turned away, Lila linked a possessive arm through Jessica's and smiled.

**30th January 2002**


End file.
